eLISA science case is published

eLISA is ready to compete for the next L1 mission. On January 19th 2012 the design of eLISA/NGO, an evolved gravitational wave mission in space that fits within a European-only funding envelope, was proposed to ESA.

Artist's impression showing the eLISA/NGO formation following the earth. Credit: AEI/Milde Marketing/Exozet

eLISA/NGO (evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna/New Gravitational Wave Observatory) is a ESA-led space mission which was derived from the original LISA concept. It consists of one mother- and two daughter spacecraft separated by a distance of 1 Mio km, forming the first Michelson interferometer in space. The proposal, the so-called Yellow Book (http://elisa-ngo.org/publications/publications-yellow-book), summarises the design of eLISA/NGO and its payload. It was developed by the eLISA/NGO science team, ESA scientists and engineers with large support from the LISA working groups. It is based on results of recent industrial activities and ESA’s Concurrent Design Facility. On January 19th 2012 the Yellow Book of eLISA/NGO was proposed to ESA. It is evident that the design inherits quite some detail from previous studies, in particular for LISA and LISA Pathfinder. The science case alone was published online in the electronic archive: http://arxiv.org/abs/1201.3621 and it shows impressive scientific capabilities of the proposed mission.

The selection process for the next L1 mission will take place in spring 2012.